Summertime has officially arrived as the mid-summer doldrums begin to develop. It’s also the time of year when tropical weather systems and offshore water temperatures are difficult to predict. Just when you think you’ve got things figured out, a summer squall will blow in and kick up the seas, or the cold-water Labrador Current will move in and shut down the seaward bite.
Near-shore, kingfish will be the staple on the reefs and wrecks in 70 to 90 feet of water, with a mixed bag of three: wahoo, dolphin, and an occasional sailfish thrown in. The preferred method for targeting these species is slow trolling live bait (pogies) on steel wire stinger rigs. Troll the wahoo fastest, up to 15 knots. Dolphin may like a 5-8 knot troll and the sailfish is the fastest fish in the water but may like the baits dragged as slow as you can go.
On the Port Canaveral buoy line and along the beaches, an assorted beach bag is available with smoker kings (large king mackerel), silver kings (tarpon), cobia, sharks, and colossal jacks all available at any given time. To target these species, focus your attention in areas of bait concentrations.
Inshore, July is one of the best times of the year to catch redfish in shallow water. Large schools have already started forming up, and the sight of tailing and feeding redfish is mind-boggling. Once you’ve finished drooling over redfish, look for snook, and juvenile tarpon in the creeks, canals and backwaters. In deeper water, look for ladyfish and small trout to be shadowing schools of bay anchovies (glass minnows) under clouds of feeding terns.
